The concept of a book club is ancient. Going back to 400BC it has been a fundamental and hugely beneficial element of communities. Book clubs don’t have to mean what we consider today – reading a chosen book each month and discussing it with other people. Instead, the basis of a book club is simple – a group of people discussing something they are communally passionate about that brings them together. Think of Socrates and Plato gathering their community of philosophers to discuss human nature, philosophy and life, or Pythagoreans deliberating over the holiness and significance of number sequences.
A book club is when all minds come together as one interconnected community to learn, teach and listen.
Although today it may be over the internet rather than in the Parthenon, communities all over the world are using book clubs to stay connected.
Our ORSC community has a wonderful book club which has been meeting virtually since 2009. It was set up by, Shekinah Shepherd, and Allison Stern, and soon thereafter Deena Kolbert and then Kathryn Arndt joined as team members.
All share a mutual passion for reading and discussing literature. The members of this ever-growing book club, many of whom were strangers initially, have developed a community based on learning, sharing and growing together. Their discussions are limitless as members’ identities, life experiences, political ideologies and cultures all intertwine through the books they choose to read and share.
The “act of reading in community can help you read more deeply and better understand diverse perspectives”. (John Coleman, Harvard Business Review, Feb 2016).
A book club can be a microcosm of society, especially when meeting virtually with people who are all over the world. The individuals in these book clubs (like in the wider world) will have different views, cultures, emotions, experiences and personalities and often they will find things in common but other times they may clash. Everyone’s words, actions and even expressions will have an impact on the system – this is the basis of ORSC principals. This does not mean people should not say their view on a matter but instead, as with any deep democracy process, being part of a community offers the opportunity to consider different perspectives as well as one’s impact within a learning context.
A book club is the perfect place to practice how to become “a better communicator, and improve emotional intelligence” (John Coleman, Harvard Business Review, Feb 2016).
With difficult news flooding into our phones and minds 24/7, being able to get perspective and perhaps escape by diving into books on economics, politics, history, geography or love can help remind us that there is so much more in the world than the 4 walls we are currently stuck in.
The ORSC Book Club is a welcoming, warm and inclusive community which is always open for anyone to join. If you want to know more about the ORSC Book Club and/or are interested in joining, then please contact:
ORSCers@orscglobal.com
If you can’t find time for a book club but want something different to read which broadens your entertainment, there is a book subscription at headymix.co.uk which handpicks diverse books written by women that are not in mainstream bookstores.
